# 3 packs briar pipe unfinished bowls on amazon



## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

Hey guys, brand speaking new here. I just wanted to run this past you guys and see if anyone had any experience with this. Was on amazon and saw this thing, they were selling 3 assorted briar pipes and are unfinished. Obviously I impulsively bought them and from what it looks like they just need to be stained. Reviews got 4.5/5 stars and 10 reviews. Only 1 was bad. Has anyone had any luck with them and stuff? Thanks for the help.

Best regards,
- Drew


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

If it helps here Is the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Briar-Tobacco-Pipes-Assorted-Unfinished/dp/B01N3U0SX3/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1495684598&sr=8-2&keywords=Unfinished+briar+pipes


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Welcome.. let us know how they look when they show up. 

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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

UBC03 said:


> Welcome.. let us know how they look when they show up.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk


Will do sir! I'll do a before and after once I get them. I just ordered them today, so it should be in between the 31st to the 5th.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Drew.m.chan said:


> Will do sir! I'll do a before and after once I get them. I just ordered them today, so it should be in between the 31st to the 5th.


Thank you

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## LeatherNeck (Feb 8, 2017)

Looks like a pretty good deal, well at least to a noob pipe smoker such as myself. I like little projects so I may have to do some homework to see if this is worth the fuss. Thanks for the link! Keep us posted on your progress.


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## OneStrangeOne (Sep 10, 2016)

Welcome to the forum! 
Looks like they are from Lorenzo, possibly second's. I would guess that they will probably smoke well.
I would leave at least one natural, I like to watch a pipe darken on its own with time and use.


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

OneStrangeOne said:


> Welcome to the forum!
> Looks like they are from Lorenzo, possibly second's. I would guess that they will probably smoke well.
> I would leave at least one natural, I like to watch a pipe darken on its own with time and use.


Thanks! Since I have never finished wood or let alone a pipe, I once saw someone polish wood with olive oil and figured I would go that route so I don't fudge things up entirely. If anyone else has suggestions I open to them!


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## Alpedhuez55 (Dec 16, 2005)

Drew.m.chan said:


> Thanks! Since I have never finished wood or let alone a pipe, I once saw someone polish wood with olive oil and figured I would go that route so I don't fudge things up entirely. If anyone else has suggestions I open to them!


I think Fiebings Leather dyes are what a lot of pipemakers use. If you have a buffer, you can use Carnuba Wax.


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## LeatherNeck (Feb 8, 2017)

Pretty sure a certain wax is used. I'm sure a vet here can give that advice. @OneStrangeOne, what say you?


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

Alpedhuez55 said:


> I think Fiebings Leather dyes are what a lot of pipemakers use. If you have a buffer, you can use Carnuba Wax.


So unfortunately I don't have a buffer, and figured with my 3 days off schedule I could just watch tv and polish away. Do you think Olive oil will work?


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## TheGentlemansLifestyle (Apr 10, 2017)

LeatherNeck said:


> Pretty sure a certain wax is used. I'm sure a vet here can give that advice. @OneStrangeOne, what say you?


Fiebings Leather Dye for staining and Halcyon II wax (no buffing wheel) or carnuba (with buffing wheel)


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## TheGentlemansLifestyle (Apr 10, 2017)

Drew.m.chan said:


> So unfortunately I don't have a buffer, and figured with my 3 days off schedule I could just watch tv and polish away. Do you think Olive oil will work?


Hi Drew,

See my above post, Halcyon II wax is what you want if you don't have access to a buffing wheel. I'd stay away from olive oil as it is organic and will eventually decay. Although I have used EVOO in a pinch on my stems, I don't recommend it for the briar. Best of luck and can't wait to see the finished product!


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## Gummy Jones (Mar 30, 2017)

i have used trueoil on various things (never a pipe) and have enjoyed the product and the semigloss result
has held up well also
just an idea - maybe someone else can comment whether a pipe is the best application of the product


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## NightFish (Jan 27, 2017)

Welcome to Puff, @Drew.m.chan , and very interesting Amazon find. I'm also new to pies and am tempted to order a set of those myself. Does anybody know what would happen if a guy just smoked them the way they are? What about wax and no stain?


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## TheGentlemansLifestyle (Apr 10, 2017)

Gummy Jones said:


> i have used trueoil on various things (never a pipe) and have enjoyed the product and the semigloss result
> has held up well also
> just an idea - maybe someone else can comment whether a pipe is the best application of the product


Probably not the best application for a pipe, as briar needs to breathe and this seems to penetrate deep and "seal". A great product though, I've used it on various things myself


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

NightFish said:


> Welcome to Puff, @Drew.m.chan , and very interesting Amazon find. I'm also new to pies and am tempted to order a set of those myself. Does anybody know what would happen if a guy just smoked them the way they are? What about wax and no stain?


The oils from your fingers will Stain the wood and it'll look like @ss.

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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

TheGentlemansLifestyle said:


> Fiebings Leather Dye for staining and Halcyon II wax (no buffing wheel) or carnuba (with buffing wheel)


 This

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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

Fiebings leather dye and halcyon II wax it is! I just need to find out where i can get it from.... I see the wax can be bought online. Do you think like home depot or some other store might have it? Also just to go on a tangent, I walked my german sheppy and smoked some MacBarren 7 seas gold blend.... and I think I found my new go to.


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

So I see the leather dye can be bought at walmart. Just need to see if the wax can be too but it looks like a no. Trying to keep my pipe addiction on the down low so the wife doesn't notice. I started with 1 pipe, one day she came home and I had 5 pipes, 5 tins and a giant jar of tobacco. Wait till she sees the 3 more coming in the mail plus the dye and wax!


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

Also I'm thinking of just doing maybe 1 or 2 dyed, and keeping the one "natural" like someone Onestrangeone said. Would it work if I just put the wax on? Also would it still show the fingerprints that make it look like @ss?


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## OneStrangeOne (Sep 10, 2016)

Drew.m.chan said:


> Also I'm thinking of just doing maybe 1 or 2 dyed, and keeping the one "natural" like someone Onestrangeone said. Would it work if I just put the wax on? Also would it still show the fingerprints that make it look like @ss?


As long as you wax it it's good, sand it until it's smooth enough for you add a couple coats of wax and your done! I have a couple that I stripped all the way down to bare briar and decided not to stain wax only, they will darken over time. Like @TheGentlemansLifestyle I know a few people that use olive oil on vulcanite stems, probably a real bad idea for the strummel.


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## TheGentlemansLifestyle (Apr 10, 2017)

Drew.m.chan said:


> So I see the leather dye can be bought at walmart. Just need to see if the wax can be too but it looks like a no. Trying to keep my pipe addiction on the down low so the wife doesn't notice. I started with 1 pipe, one day she came home and I had 5 pipes, 5 tins and a giant jar of tobacco. Wait till she sees the 3 more coming in the mail plus the dye and wax!


Welcome to the slippery slope LOL. I haven't found anywhere locally that carried Halcyon II wax but that doesn't mean it can't be found. You can typically pick up a jar for 10$ or so on the interwebs

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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

TheGentlemansLifestyle said:


> Welcome to the slippery slope LOL. I haven't found anywhere locally that carried Halcyon II wax but that doesn't mean it can't be found. You can typically pick up a jar for 10$ or so on the interwebs
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Yea it looks like thats the only option is to order it online, ill figure out which site sells it for the cheapest. ill honestly just buy the wax for now, I was looking online at some other naked pipes, and I kinda like the look. Also just a random thought, is there anything else that I could use as an alternative? or is that the only thing. Also I just checked amazon and saw that it shipped! First class USPS so it should be here by my next weekend. Screw it ill pull the trigger on the wax, plus I can always use it on my other pipes to shine em up. Also how should I wax them? with paper towels? old cotton t-shirt? Thanks for all the knowledge guys!


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## OneStrangeOne (Sep 10, 2016)

T-Shirt or that single sock in the bottom of the dresser will work, the wax is the best option. Don't use car wax or anything like that!


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

okay, I've got plenty of those. My german sheppy likes to take my socks and hide them throughout the house, so I have plenty of un matched socks!


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

Here's a picture of my little booger!


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## NightFish (Jan 27, 2017)

Drew.m.chan said:


> ... Also just to go on a tangent, I walked my german sheppy and smoked some MacBarren 7 seas gold blend.... and I think I found my new go to.


Don't mean to distract from the main subject here but your 7 Seas tangent makes me want to share my own.

MacBarren 7 Seas Black was among the first tins of pipe tobacco that I ever bought and it's a memorable one for me because it's the first tin I ever opened. I tried to twist the top off and couldn't get it to budge. I have stronger hands than your average schmuck from years of commercial fishing and figured that if I can't open it then nobody can. I was determined to make it happen and torqued on that sucker until I bruised the palm of my hand and almost blew out my wrist before realizing that something was up and going to google to figure it out. Now I know...:smile2:
As I poured the tobacco from the tin to a jar it really sank in how much cheaper it is to smoke pipes than cigars. I think I paid about $8 of for the 3.5oz tin and the number of times I can fill my bowl from that tin compared to the number of cigars I can smoke for $8 is no comparison. I love cigars but have plenty of other crap to blow my money on.

Anyway ... just a funny story about opening the tin that I couldn't help but share ... welcome to the pipe world. It's great to have more pipe smokers showing up on here .... Looking forward to hearing what you think of the 3 pipes when they arrive ... carry on ...


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

Absolutely, says they should arrive by Tuesday, as I said I'll give before and afters, super excited!


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

PIPES ARE IN!!!!!! I just got them today after coming home from bunch with the wife. First impressions are pretty good bang for the buck! Tiny and slight imperfections on 2 of 3 pipes, and the stems are thick plastic. The one thing I don't like is the stems, on the bit end, its not a rectangle opening like most, but a tiny hole but thats okay. Draws on them aren't bad, and I'm sure if you change the stems it will fix that. The imperfections are very minor as I stated and are like from tiny knots in the wood, but nothing that would affect the smoke. I got 3 shapes, an egg, billiard, and bulldog. All 3 are smoothly sanded down and literally all it needs is just some staining and polishing. Just because I can I might fill the small imperfections with wood filler as they are on the outside so I can get a uniform smoothness. Pictures are attached below. I place my Torino Simpatico Egg pipe next to the 3 for comparison. Definitely have potential, it's just up to the owner with what you do to them.


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## OneStrangeOne (Sep 10, 2016)

Hope they are great smokers for you! 
Your right about wanting to fill the voids, if I were doing it I would use a two part epoxy, it won't take stain but it won't come out either.


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

Actually I think the one is not a bull dog but a bull cap..... i don't know it looks cool


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

OneStrangeOne said:


> Hope they are great smokers for you!
> Your right about wanting to fill the voids, if I were doing it I would use a two part epoxy, it won't take stain but it won't come out either.


I have elmer's wood filler, you think that will work? I actually love the color already, and I am probably going to just polish it.


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## OneStrangeOne (Sep 10, 2016)

Drew.m.chan said:


> I have elmer's wood filler, you think that will work? I actually love the color already, and I am probably going to just polish it.


Yeah, it will work, it's a lot easier to sand out than the epoxy.


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

Ok, so update on everything. Today is my friday and I get off work at 11 pm. The Halcyon II comes in the mail today and I got a little impatient on the staining so I tried to see if I could stain the filler with some really thick instant coffee slurry, results were that it didn't work. So ill just have to wait to pick up leather dye in order for me to stain the filler. I sanded the whole thing with some 2000 grit sand paper and I really like the colors as is, so I might just try to apply the stain to the filler only and then polish the heck out of it with the Halcyon. Tomorrow I shall post the final results to include a smoke from at least one of the pipes and give final conclusions.


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## OneStrangeOne (Sep 10, 2016)

Drew.m.chan said:


> Ok, so update on everything. Today is my friday and I get off work at 11 pm. The Halcyon II comes in the mail today and I got a little impatient on the staining so I tried to see if I could stain the filler with some really thick instant coffee slurry, results were that it didn't work. So ill just have to wait to pick up leather dye in order for me to stain the filler. I sanded the whole thing with some 2000 grit sand paper and I really like the colors as is, so I might just try to apply the stain to the filler only and then polish the heck out of it with the Halcyon. Tomorrow I shall post the final results to include a smoke from at least one of the pipes and give final conclusions.


Try not to get the wax in the bowl! It's not a pleasant taste and difficult to get rid of.


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## NightFish (Jan 27, 2017)

Thanks for the updates, @Drew.m.chan. It looks like a fun project and I can't wait to see how they come out when you're done. 
I'm inspired and think I'll add some to my amazon cart incase my wife needs a father's day gift idea. 
Does anybody have any ideas about where to find quality replacement stems that would be likely to fit?


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

Okay, WHEW are my arms tired...... I ended up not staining them and just polishing, but I did stain the wood filler by using some instant coffee powder mixed with a few drops of water to make a thick slurry, then I mixed it in with the wood filler and applied it. Let it dry and then polished it. 2 of the pipes took a nice shine with the Halcyon but 1 is just kinda shiny (probably has to do with my tired arms) but with 2 hours last night and 2 hours this morning, I feel they came out great for just hand buffing. If I had a buffer wheel and some carnauba I feel this could be super nice! After lunch I'll smoke 1 and let you know how they are. But for right now here are the finished pictures.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Drew.m.chan said:


> Okay, WHEW are my arms tired...... I ended up not staining them and just polishing, but I did stain the wood filler by using some instant coffee powder mixed with a few drops of water to make a thick slurry, then I mixed it in with the wood filler and applied it. Let it dry and then polished it. 2 of the pipes took a nice shine with the Halcyon but 1 is just kinda shiny (probably has to do with my tired arms) but with 2 hours last night and 2 hours this morning, I feel they came out great for just hand buffing. If I had a buffer wheel and some carnauba I feel this could be super nice! After lunch I'll smoke 1 and let you know how they are. But for right now here are the finished pictures.


If you want to send em to me I'll buff em up for ya.. I use polishing compound, then jeweler'd rouge, get off all the grit, then slow buff with a few coats of pure carnauba wax.

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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Awesome job, hope they are good smokers for you.


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## NightFish (Jan 27, 2017)

Looking good!
I'm ordering some. Can't take it anymore...


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

UBC03 said:


> If you want to send em to me I'll buff em up for ya.. I use polishing compound, then jeweler'd rouge, get off all the grit, then slow buff with a few coats of pure carnauba wax.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk


I might have to take you up on that!


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

UPDATE: took the Bullcap outside and broke it in. Method: fill it and smoke the dang thing. Smoke session was fantastic, loved every minute of it. Honestly yes I'm still a newbie, but from what I see, 3 pipes for that price is a steal. All it takes is just some creativity on the buyers end. Me? I'm just a functionalist, so if it works well thats all I really care about thats why I didn't rusticate or sand blast it or carve neat little grooves in it. But in summary, I think that its a great project that yields a fantastic smoke. Plus its fun to know that your pipe is unique and that no one else has the same exact pipe as you.


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

NightFish said:


> Thanks for the updates, @Drew.m.chan. It looks like a fun project and I can't wait to see how they come out when you're done.
> I'm inspired and think I'll add some to my amazon cart incase my wife needs a father's day gift idea.
> Does anybody have any ideas about where to find quality replacement stems that would be likely to fit?


Once it cools down and I take it apart for cleaning, ill post pictures of the stems... I'm not sure what size they are, but they are a tad smaller then corn cob stems. Better yet here is a picture of one of the unsmoked pipes. The right is a cob stem and the left is the briar stem.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Drew.m.chan said:


> I might have to take you up on that!


Sure bro it's no problem.. They look great the way they are but if you want a deeper finish let me know..

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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

also if you guys get any, please post your finished products!


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## NightFish (Jan 27, 2017)

Drew.m.chan said:


> also if you guys get any, please post your finished products!


You got it. Will do.


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## OneStrangeOne (Sep 10, 2016)

NightFish said:


> Thanks for the updates, @Drew.m.chan. It looks like a fun project and I can't wait to see how they come out when you're done.
> I'm inspired and think I'll add some to my amazon cart incase my wife needs a father's day gift idea.
> Does anybody have any ideas about where to find quality replacement stems that would be likely to fit?


Check out the Forever stems, you would have to fit it yourself.
@ Old Log Cabin Pipeworks.


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## NightFish (Jan 27, 2017)

Okay, here's mine. One of them has a few small cracks to fill but they seem to be perfect other than that. I guess the next step is to figure out how I want to finish them. I like the way @Drew.m.chan's came out with just wax so I plan to leave at least one plain and maybe play with some fiebing's leather dye on the others. The stems are junk. I can tell that I won't be able to live with the tiny draft hole so I guess I'll need to find stem replacements somewhere too. The air flow feels quite restricted compared to my MM cobs and they even whistle a little bit when you draw through them.


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

So I spent 60 dollars on a buffer.... and they look superb!!!!! 1 layer of carnuaba wax and buff then 1 layer of halcyon II wax and then buff. Also the draw seems to open up with time, just like in the previous post it was stated that it was a little tight but now it has opened up! Loving them a lot!


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## Drew.m.chan (May 25, 2017)

NightFish said:


> Okay, here's mine. One of them has a few small cracks to fill but they seem to be perfect other than that. I guess the next step is to figure out how I want to finish them. I like the way @Drew.m.chan's came out with just wax so I plan to leave at least one plain and maybe play with some fiebing's leather dye on the others. The stems are junk. I can tell that I won't be able to live with the tiny draft hole so I guess I'll need to find stem replacements somewhere too. The air flow feels quite restricted compared to my MM cobs and they even whistle a little bit when you draw through them.


Well it seems like the stems are molded plastic, the insert end is a bit crude so I scraped out the end and it was a bit better


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